November 11 to 16, 2013

Knox College, 59 St. George Street

Ministerial Leadership is both demanding and rewarding in this age of cynicism about institutions yet unprecedented spiritual hunger.

Faith Matters is a week-long event to stimulate reflection and dialogue and will feature the Laidlaw, MacDonald and Adams lectures.

Participants will also have the opportunity to hear from Knox Faculty, participate in panel discussions, engage in worship and enjoy a Principal’s reception. Lectures will include:

• The Robert Laidlaw Lecture – The Emergent Church Movement – with Brian McLaren
• The Ada Adams Lecture – Nuturing Young Children in a Changing Church – with David Csinos
• The Charles H. MacDonald Lecture – The Missionary Rebound – with Peter Bush

Registration and other details will be made available in June. For more information about Faith Matters, contact the Continuing Education Coordinator.

John-Peter Smit, the Congregational Development Consultant for the Synod of Central, Northeastern Ontario and Bermuda, will lead the workshop on Thursday May 16 @ 1pm at Sammy’s Student Exchange (Hart House).

This will be of primary interest to  recent graduates, however anyone interested may attend.

For more information or to register, please contact Neil Ellis, President of the M&T Society, at neil.ellis@mail.utoronto.ca.

Mark your calendars now and join us for interesting discussions and insights.

Pre-Convocation Workshop

Being Biblical Readers in a Pluralistic World
Led by The Rev. Dr. Patricia Dutcher-Walls, Professor of Hebrew Scripture and Dean of Studies at the Vancouver School of Theology
Wednesday, May 8th from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m

What core questions help define the identity of a Biblical people and Biblical readers today? What values and attitudes are the marks of a Biblical people in an age of pluralism and diversity? This workshop will help participants understand and engage ways of reading Old Testament texts that reflect the changing and pluralistic world in which we find ourselves. After an initial lecture and discussion, participants will get some hands-on practice in small groups to explore some new perspectives on reading the Bible.

Register now>>

Crossing Cultures Together IX

Minds Matter: New Canadians, Emotional Wellness, and the Role of the Church

Keynote – Understanding Mental Health and Adjustment Experiences of Immigrant Newcomers
Dr. Ben Kuo, Associate Professor of Psychology, University of Windsor
Monday, May 13th from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

More information & registration>>

Knox College Summer Program

Courses include:

Minobimaatisiiwin: Aboriginal Knowledge Systems & a Way of Life That is Good for All
Religion and Ideology
Science and Faith in Galileo
McLuhan Misunderstood: Setting the Record Straight

The Summer Program at Knox College runs from August 12 to August 23.

More information & registration>>

Comments are invited by email before April 30 to tst.uoft.moareview@utoronto.ca.

For further information, please visit the Office of the Vice-President & Provost of the University of Toronto.

169th CONVOCATION EVENTS

May 7th & 8th, 2013

5:30 p.m.
By Invitation
PRINCIPAL’S REUNION YEAR DINNER
A dinner to honour the 1973 Grads.

Contact Marie Ainey at knox.communications@utoronto.ca or 416-978-2787 for more information.

Register Online Now

Reception following at the College

Knox College follows U of T’s policy on class cancellations due to adverse weather.

Are you a curious person? Then join us!

AUGUST 12 – 16, 2013

COURSE A                                     9:00 – 10:30 AM

Minobimaatisiiwin: Aboriginal Knowledge Systems & a Way of Life That is Good for All

Beginning with the creation stories and foundational teachings of the original stewards of this territory, this course provides insight into the epistemological, ontological, and methodological foundations that undergirded Aboriginal societies in Canada before contact and that still continue to inform Aboriginal people today. By exploring cosmology, language, science, pedagogical paradigms, traditional governance models and transformative movements in contemporary arts and letters of the Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) and Haudenosaunee (Iroquaoian) Peoples, participants will better understand the relationships that exist between the First Peoples of this nation and the land itself, the relationships that exist between First Nations Peoples and Canadians, and the responsibilities and obligations (on all sides), which are bound up in those relationships.

LECTURER: JILL CARTER

COURSE B                                11:00 – 12:30 PM

Religion and Ideology

This course will study the interplay between two powerful forces in the world today: religion and ideology. We will analyze antisemitism, racism, nationalism, and fundamentalism, examining the ways in which they have both used and abused the symbols and core beliefs of the great religions of the west, especially Christianity. Can religion free itself from its ideological components, or is religion always captive to the prevalent ideologies of our age?

LECTURER: ALAN DAVIES

AUGUST 19-23, 2013

COURSE C                                   9:00 – 10:30 AM

Science and Faith in Galileo

This course is a survey of the main issues that characterized the relationship between theology and science in the thought of Galileo, viewed in the context of the scientific curriculum in contemporary universities and against the background of the Counter Reformation Catholic theology and its impact of scientific research. Originally applauded by the Church as a devout scientist, Galileo’s research became incompatible with contemporary doctrine. Having been found suspect of heresy, he was tried and forced to recant his astronomical views. Among the issues to be examined are Galileo’s religious beliefs, his principles of biblical interpretation, his relationship with prominent scientists and theologians of the age, his research at the Universities of Pisa and Padua, and his theory of the reciprocal autonomy of science and faith.

LECTURER: DOMENICO PIETROPAOLO

COURSE D                                11:00 – 12:30 PM

McLuhan Misunderstood: Setting the Record Straight

The ideas of Marshall McLuhan are critical to understanding the digital age of the Internet, the World Wide Web, smart phones, tablets, online shopping and social media. In 2011, the centenary year of Marshall McLuhan’s birth, I embarked on a re-evaluation of his contribution by rereading all of his papers and books. It explained why his work, despite his many fans, was largely misunderstood by the academic community. This course will help participants come to terms with McLuhan and allow them to read his challenging texts with ease and comprehension.

LECTURER: ROBERT K. LOGAN

Register Online

On Wednesday, January 23, The Toronto School of Theology will hold an Ecumenical Service to celebrate Christian Unity Week.

Hosted by the University of St. Michael’s College, the service will take place at 1:30 pm in the Cardinal Flahiff Centre Chapel, 95 St. Joseph Street.

The event will be followed by a social gathering in the Elliott Allen Lounge at the Cardinal Flahiff Basilian Centre where refreshments will be served courtesy of the USMC Faculty of Theology’s Student Life Committee.

For more information and directions, please see the event flyer.

If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can view the E-Newsletter online.

MacDonald Lecture 2012 - Principal Dorcas Gordon, Rory MacDonald, Dr. Marg Henderson, The Rev. Dr. Stuart Macdonald and The Rev. John Henderson

This year’s Charles H. MacDonald Memorial Lecture, Church in the Wilderness: Signs of Life, is now available for download.

We are thrilled to announce that this year’s workshop, held on November 10, was the first Continuing Education event to be broadcast online to satellite locations in New Brunswick, Manitoba and Eastern Ontario.

The feedback from this year’s lecture was very positive. Rory MacDonald, a member of the MacDonald family, said he was impressed with the presentations and discussions and the format which allowed for them to be broadcast to other churches was “a wonderful addition,” and added that his late father would have been very pleased.

The recording features the audio from The Rev. Dr. Stuart Macdonald’s presentation, Living in the Wilderness: the Church in the Contemporary Canadian Context. The full presentation, including video, will be available on our website in the New Year.
MacDonald Lecture – Church in the Wilderness – Part One